Dausa firing - highway blocked, many stranded

A highway that interconnects India's most popular tourist circuit called the Golden Triangle was completely blocked on Tuesday after clashes between the police and a local community left 11 dead.

Hundreds of tourists were stranded after a community of Gujjars blocked the 680 kilometres long national highway between this city and Agra, famous for the Taj Mahal. The Golden Triangle comprises India's national capital, Agra and Jaipur.

The Gujjars were demanding Scheduled Tribes status for their community to get more privileges.

According to police officials, people are mainly stuck in Alwar area in Rajasthan and on the way from Agra to Jaipur.

There was chaos and tension with the Jaipur-Agra national highway being blocked by angry crowds. "Around 20,000 security personnel have been deployed in the area to tackle the situation," a senior official said.

The worst hit was Patauli near Dausa on the highway, about 80 km from Jaipur, where six people, including two policemen were killed and about 40 injured in the firing, witnesses at the spot said.